Mumbai, February 24: The Union Cabinet has formally approved the proposal to rename the state of Kerala to "Keralam", marking a major step toward aligning the state's official name with its native Malayalam pronunciation. The decision, reached during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, February 24, follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly requesting the central government to amend the Constitution to reflect this change across all languages.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its first meeting held at Seva Teerth, the new PMO complex. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the PM Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for altering the name of the state of Kerala to "Keralam", Vaishnaw added. Kerala Lottery Result Today 3 PM Live, Sthree Sakthi SS-508 Lottery Result of 24.02.2026, Watch Lucky Draw Winner List.

Fulfilling a Legislative Mandate

The renaming process was initiated by the Kerala state government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The state assembly had previously passed two separate resolutions - one in August 2023 and a revised version in June 2024 - urging the Centre to take immediate steps under Article 3 of the Constitution.

While the state is already referred to as "Keralam" in the Malayalam language, it has remained "Kerala" in the First Schedule of the Constitution since the states were reorganised on a linguistic basis in 1956. The new approval seeks to standardise the name as "Keralam" in all official records, including the Eighth Schedule, which lists the languages of India.

Constitutional and Administrative Next Steps

Following the Cabinet's nod, the central government is expected to introduce a Bill in Parliament to amend the Constitution. Because the names of states are enshrined in the First Schedule, a constitutional amendment is mandatory to finalise the transition. Once the amendment is passed by both houses of Parliament, the name change will be implemented across all federal and state departments. This includes updates to official letterheads, digital portals, and international documentation where the state is represented.

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Linguistic Nuances and Public Debate

The move has sparked a discussion regarding the practical application of the name in English. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had a witty take on Kerala's name change, asking what happens now to the terms "Keralite" and "Keralan" for the "denizens" of the new "Keralam".  "@CMOKerala might want to launch a competition for new terms resulting from this electoral zeal," Tharoor said in a post on X. Kerala Shocker: 27-Year-Old Man Dies After Falling Into Unbarricaded Roadside Pit in Idukki’s Thodupuzha.

A Historical Transition

The demand to rename the state is rooted in the "Aikya Kerala" movement, which sought the unification of Malayalam-speaking regions. Proponents of the change argue that "Kerala" is a colonial-era adaptation and that "Keralam" more accurately reflects the linguistic and cultural identity of the region. Kerala joins several other Indian states that have sought to reclaim indigenous names. Most recently, Orissa was officially changed to Odisha in 2011 to better reflect the local pronunciation and script.

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